Vacancies

Much of what I’ve learned resides
An inch or two below
The fortress of retrieval where
My mind is loath to go.

I peer into its murky depths
Where shadows prowl and lurk
But hauling out a word or phrase
Is really too much work.

What used to like to hide and seek
Around the tip of tongue
Has plunged way down to join the crew
It knew when I was young.

As age lays claim to knowledge
That I labored to attain,
The vacancies are mounting
In the creases of my brain.